As most are now well aware, a rage of heroin and opioid painkiller use and abuse has swept most parts of our nation, and the effect it’s having on communities, both urban and rural alike, has been nothing short of devastating. Unfortunately, our community, like most, has not been isolated or immune from this epidemic.

Our drug task force officers and investigators will tell you that five years ago they would perhaps encounter heroin two or three times per year. Now, heroin trafficking investigations dominate their caseload. Those officers and investigators have built in excess of 300 felony drug trafficking cases in our community between 2012 and 2014 — averaging more than 100 per year. Of those cases, upward of 70 percent of those now involve heroin.

Comparatively speaking, that is reflective of the national trends as well. According to United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) data, heroin-related overdose deaths in the United States rose 172 percent between 2010 and 2013, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the number of heroin addicts in the United States increased by 150 percent from 2007 to 2013.

One of the questions we are most often asked about this scourge is “what happened?” Well, the answer to that question begins with a discussion about rampant opioid painkiller abuse and trafficking dating back approximately 10 years ago.

Just as our drug investigators report a caseload that is currently composed of mostly heroin, those who worked in that capacity in the five years preceding 2010 would have reported opioid painkillers dominated the illegal drug trafficking business. However, through legislative changes, industry standard improvements, and other similar efforts, progress was made in curtailing the prevalence of opioid painkillers on the streets of our nation.

“One of the questions we are most often asked about this scourge is “what happened?” Well, the answer to that question begins with a discussion about rampant opioid painkiller abuse and trafficking dating back approximately 10 years ago.”

Police Chief Bill Lamb

Unfortunately, the drug cartels and their networks in the United States understood the laws of supply and demand all too well, and they have been very effectively taking advantage of them by flooding the United States with heroin.

Heroin and opioid painkillers all share a common chemical composition — they are derived from opium poppies. Therefore, the effects on the human body, “the high,” are very similar. So, as opioid painkillers became increasingly difficult to obtain, the illegal drug trafficking networks began filling the void with a nearly identical substance — heroin.

Additionally, opioid painkillers are selling for $40 to $50 per pill on the streets and a comparable amount of heroin can be found for $20 to $30. Last, but certainly not least, the heroin that has been introduced to our nation, primarily from Mexico, is 10 times more potent than the heroin that was so popular in the United States in the 1970s. It is so potent that many heroin addicts are now reporting that addiction sets in after just one or two uses. According to a Wisconsin Department of Justice statistic, 75 percent of first-time heroin users will use the drug a second and subsequent time, so it is largely that combination of factors that is fueling America’s heroin problem.

As previously noted, the impact that heroin and opioid abuse has had on our community has been devastating. Specifically, our law enforcement officers and paramedics respond to heroin overdoses on a weekly basis, used needles are being found outside of people’s homes or in public places, opioid and heroin addicted babies are being born in our community with alarming frequency, and robberies, burglaries, and other serious crimes are being committed as users become desperate to feed their addiction. Most tragically, our community continues to see the overdose death toll climb.

Although enforcement of our drug laws is clearly an important element in combating this problem, most people understand it would be naïve to think that we, or any other community, are going to be able to arrest our way out of this type of problem.

We are very proud of the enforcement efforts our people have been putting forth. They’ve done an absolutely astonishing job of building more than 300 felony drug cases in the past three years and have, as a result, taken a lot of illegal drugs and very dangerous people off our city’s streets. But, those enforcement efforts are just one element of what it will take to significantly reduce the danger and destruction heroin and opioids have brought to our community.

The other critical elements that are needed include continuing education/prevention, harm reduction and treatment opportunities. Those three elements, along with enforcement, are the components of the “4 Pillar approach” that many communities are using to try to combat the heroin problem.

We have adopted a similar approach in the greater Fond du Lac area and a very dedicated group of individuals from various organizations has been working to identify the goals and implement the strategies needed to fight this problem. Among these organizations we have our schools, health care providers, faith and business communities, and civic and fraternal organizations. Of course, we will continue our efforts to very aggressively pursue and bring to justice those who are involved in drug trafficking and illegal use in our community.

Although the facts and some of the data regarding the heroin problem seem almost insurmountable, we all know this community has a “can do” spirit that is second to none. We have all seen this community respond to some very difficult and sometimes painful challenges, but in the end, we always prevail — and I believe we’ll prevail in this challenge as well.